Except for school and health service employees, all employees have been staging sit-ins at the main gate of the municipality and demonstrating on the streets, halting all municipal work since December 10.
What you should know
Simraungarh Municipality employees have staged a protest demanding action against Deputy Mayor Najmu Shehar.
The employees are protesting demanding action against the deputy mayor for misbehaving with the Chief Administrative Officer Bir Bahadur Sah Lahera.
Except for school and health service employees, all employees have been staging a sit-in at the main gate of the municipality and demonstrating on the streets, halting all municipal work since December 29.
All services from all 11 wards of the municipality have been halted. They are protesting demanding that the local police administration ensure the self-respect, physical security and working environment of the employees.
Acting Chief Administrative Officer Bir Bahadur Sah Lahera accused Deputy Mayor Shehar of assaulting and abusing him after he called him to his office saying that he needed a discussion.
He said that he was assaulted and abused when he asked him why he used the word "special municipal assembly" in the letter he wrote to call the executive meeting for the special municipal assembly. ‘I deleted the word special municipal assembly written in the letter due to pressure from the deputy mayor, but he abused me unnecessarily,’ she said, ‘The incident that happened to me should be investigated and action should be taken against the guilty.’
On the other hand, Deputy Mayor Shehar had been angry that the 10th municipal assembly was not approved by law under the pretense of majority and that the budget she needed was not allocated.
After she filed a case against the municipal assembly in the High Court, the court last week annulled the municipal assembly and decided to hold another one, but the Chief Administrative Officer refused to do so, so she said that she only put pressure on him. ‘I did not assault or abuse him,’ she said, ‘Since I also have rights in the city, I should not bypass him and be treated with respect.’
Chief Administrative Officer Lahera said that he only positively mediated the dispute between the mayor and deputy mayor to run the municipality properly. ‘The court has decided to overturn the decision of the 10th Municipal Assembly and hold another Municipal Assembly,’ he said. ‘The decision has been made to call only an executive meeting for discussion in order to hold a special assembly for the Municipal Assembly, which can be held twice a year, legally.’
Simraungadh Municipality Employee Struggle Committee Coordinator Suresh Prasad Yadav said that they will not tolerate injustice as the public representatives have been repeatedly mistreating the employees. ‘The agitation will continue until action is taken,’ he said, ‘We are being harassed and bullied by the employees. The police administration has not given us a hearing. That is why we are sad.’
